We are home. The flight home yesterday was generally without incident, a pleasant surprise given the general lack of sleep thanks to a 4:00am wake up to get to the airport in San Jose. A word or two about that airport. First, the little taco stand has great burritos. Not what one would expect in […]

Posted on April 30th, 2007 by admin
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So I went for a little lunchtime spin with my boss today, as he had an extra bike. The bike, an old Cannondale (let’s say, late 80s or early 90s) actually fit me quite well. The steering felt absolutely scary at first, what, without a loaded basket on the front. This made the initial descent […]

Posted on April 26th, 2007 by admin
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Yes, we are in California. Scotts Valley, specifically, just north and east of Santa Cruz. I’m here working with my manager for a week. Jen and the boys are taking in the sights and enjoying the weather. Expect photos soon.

Posted on April 24th, 2007 by admin
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It is exceedingly rare for me to agree with much of anything the Republican hacks at the Corner write, but John Podhoretz is absolutely correct in

Posted on April 20th, 2007 by admin
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Thanks to a weekend forecast full of rain, wind, and cold temperatures, the Iron City Populaire has been rescheduled until May 13. It wasn’t an easy decision, since randonneuring is supposed to be all about suffering (right?), but I hoped this would be a nice introduction, and I knew I could get a far better […]

Posted on April 13th, 2007 by admin
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Today’s Post Gazette includes the editorial “Corn Is Food, Not Fuel” by Manfred Kroger. Kroger’s point is simple: ethanol is far from being the silver bullet to cure our fuel woes. In fact, ethanol may require more energy to produce that it provides (there is some disagreement in the scientific community about this) and, more […]

Posted on April 8th, 2007 by admin
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Based on email messages and activity on the Bike Pittsburgh message board, there could be a decent turnout for this event next weekend. The route has changed quited a bit from what I first envisioned, and it clocks in at the proper populaire distance of 101km, with roughly 3400 feet of climbing (yes, yes, sorry […]

Posted on April 3rd, 2007 by admin
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In preparation for the new, urban commute (and carrying a laptop on a regular basis), I decided to add some sort of load carrying capacity to the Steamroller. The dream was to have a proper porteur rack, but custom models are upwards of $200 (and being custom, take months to arrive), and the only non-custom […]

Posted on April 1st, 2007 by admin
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So plans to go to New Jersey to do the Frenchtown Populaire fell through, so I decided to organize one myself. Given the initial response from friends and folks on the Bike Pittsburgh message board, this may be start of bigger and better brevet-style rides here in the ‘burgh. More details about the ride can […]

Posted on March 23rd, 2007 by admin
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After riding to the Co-op on Thursday night in shorts and a t-shirt, Friday morning brought temperatures in the 30s and steady rain. Good fun. I do think I hit the clothing selection on target, outside of my gloves. Wool shirt, rain jacket, helmet liner, wool knickers, tights, wool socks. I started with neoprene gloves, […]

Posted on March 16th, 2007 by admin
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